The present invention relates to a positioner for securing an apparatus to a floor, and an image diagnostic apparatus.
Medical apparatuses, particularly X-ray CT and MRI systems, require an apparatus for scanning a subject (called a gantry), and an apparatus for carrying the subject rested thereon to a scanning position. In such medical apparatuses, to which region (position) in the subject a reconstructed tomographic image relates is very important.
Therefore, high positioning accuracy is naturally required when installing a medical apparatus in a health care facility (e.g., a hospital).
Positioning of, for example, a gantry is conducted as follows: First, an installation location for the medical apparatus is decided. At the time of this decision, the positions that positioning holes provided beforehand in a base plate (an iron plate) of the gantry will assume relative to the floor when the gantry position is fixed are ascertained.
After deciding the installation location, anchor bolts (usually of metal) are implanted upright at corresponding positions on the floor, as shown in FIG. 10(a). Usually, holes are bored by means of a drill or the like when the floor is of concrete, for example, and anchor bolts having threads are implanted; however, any technique may be used.
Each anchor bolt is then led through the positioning hole in the base plate of the gantry (FIG. 10(b)), and the gantry is finally secured by the anchor nut (FIG. 10(c)).
An advantage of such a positioning method is that once positioning of the apparatus has been completed, stable securement at that position is possible so long as the diameter of the positioning holes in the base plate of the apparatus to be installed (here the gantry) is tight with respect to the anchor bolts. However, high accuracy is required for the implanting positions of the anchor bolts; and if reinforcing steel is buried under the floor where an anchor bolt is to be implanted and the anchor bolt cannot reach a prescribed depth, the implanting positions for all the remaining anchor bolts must be modified. That is, the initially intended installation position for the apparatus must be changed.
Moreover, it is generally common for a machine supplier to take charge of the drilling work for implanting the anchor bolts and for a maintenance service provider to take charge of positioning of the apparatus. Therefore, if the problem described above emerges, additional time is required for communication and preparation, thereby delaying the start of operation of the apparatus in the hospital or other such health care facility.
To solve such a problem, the diameter of each positioning hole in the base plate of the apparatus to be installed may be made larger than the diameter of the anchor bolt (e.g., ca. 3-5 times larger than the diameter of the anchor bolt), and a washer having a larger diameter than that of the positioning hole may be interposed between the positioning hole in the base plate of the apparatus to be installed and the anchor bolt for securing the apparatus, as shown in FIG. 11.
An advantage of such a method is that high accuracy is not required for the implanting positions for the anchor bolts. Moreover, even if reinforcing steel is buried under the floor at the target position, the anchor bolt may be implanted at another position insofar as the diameter of the positioning hole permits. That is, the method is advantageous in that modification of an implanting position for one anchor bolt does not lead to modification of implanting positions for other anchor bolts. According to the securing method shown in FIG. 11, however, the apparatus sometimes moves in the horizontal direction due to lateral shaking by an earthquake, etc.